New year, new laws

(CNN) -- New laws go into effect Monday that crack down on
parents who don't keep up with their child support payments,
sex offenders who want to become part of a community, and
those people who love to interrupt you at dinner --
telemarketers.

Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota and Nevada are among 18
states that now have laws allowing courts to strip deadbeat
parents of driver's and professional licenses when they don't
pay child support. "It is a privilege to have a driver's
license. It is a responsibility to pay your child support,"
Nevada Gov. Bob Miller said.

California is taking a tough new stance on convicted sex
offenders, allowing courts to sentence them to up to two
years in a mental hospital if the state Corrections
Department believes they will strike again. "This legislation
means our sickest and most dangerous criminals won't be
released merely because liberal laws compel us to," Gov. Pete
Wilson said in signing the two bills that created the new
civil commitment law. Illinois has new laws on the books
requiring sex offenders to register with local authorities
when they move to the state. Illinois also requires the
offenders to provide samples of blood for DNA testing and
cataloging.

Telemarketers will operate under tighter rein as new Federal
Trade Commission regulations take effect. The new FTC rules
limit how and when telemarketers can solicit business.
Telemarketers are not allowed to withdraw money from a
customer's checking account without authorization that can be
verified. Calls are limited to the hours between 8 a.m. and 9
p.m. Telemarketers aren't allowed to call back if asked not
to. Callers must immediately say that they are selling a
product. And they also must reveal the true cost of goods as
well as the odds of winning a contest when it is part of the
offer.

A state-by-state breakdown of some of the new laws that take
effect Monday:

Voter registration -- Makes it easier to keep up-to-date
lists of voters. County registrars will be required to mail
notices to all registered voters. If the notice is not
returned within 90 days, the voter will be put on an inactive
list. If he or she fails to vote in one of the next two
federal elections, the voter's name is removed from the
rolls.

Sex offenders -- Allows the state Corrections Department to
seek to commit sex offenders who it believes may strike
again. The offenders could be committed for up to two years
in a mental hospital after facing a civil jury trial.

Domestic violence -- Eliminates an option that would have
allowed those charged with misdemeanor domestic violence to
choose a batterer's counseling program to avoid a jail
sentence. Under another law, police would have to take a
course on domestic violence every two years. And another law
would prevent health insurance plans from canceling or
denying coverage to victims of domestic violence.

Pepper spray -- Allows sale and purchase of pepper spray,
used for self-defense, without a training course or license.

Loitering -- Makes it a misdemeanor to loiter in a public
place and act like a prostitute or drug dealer.

False reports -- Makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly file a
false report of police misconduct.

Taxes

Income tax -- Eliminates the 10 percent and 11 percent tax
brackets, occupied by those making over $100,000 per year.

Alternative minimum tax -- Reduces the maximum rate for the
alternative minimum tax from 8.5 percent to 7 percent. The
alternative minimum tax is paid by high-income taxpayers in
lieu of the regular income tax schedule.

Education

Spelling -- Requires spelling to be taught in grades 1
through 8.

"Zero-tolerance" policies -- Sets a "zero-tolerance" policy
requiring expulsion of students who bring guns or knives to
school or sell drugs on school grounds.

Community college fees -- Reduces from $50 per credit hour to
$13 per credit hour the fees for students of community
colleges who already have degrees.

Teachers -- Allows teachers to be fired for "unsatisfactory
performance" rather than the tougher standard of
incompetence.

Consumers

Gender pricing -- Prohibits businesses, such as hair salons
and dry cleaners, from charging a different price for women
than men for similar services.

Fluoridation -- Requires the state this year to adopt
regulations requiring fluoridation of drinking water in
systems with at least 10,000 customers by 1997.

Rent control -- Begins a three-year phaseout of rent control
on voluntarily vacated apartments in five cities, on
single-family homes in seven cities and on new construction
in three cities.

Traffic

Speed limit -- Raises the speed limit to 70 mph on 1,400
miles of rural freeways. The actual change won't take effect
until new signs are erected, probably in a week to 10 days.

Traffic monitoring -- Lets police set up sensor-operated
cameras at traffic signals to photograph drivers and license
plates of cars that fail to stop. The car's registered owner
will then get a ticket in the mail.

Child support -- Allows the courts the right to strip away
licenses from parents who are flagrantly behind in their
child support. Mothers and fathers who are more than 90 days
behind in their payments, and have no good reason for it,
will be at risk of having their driver's licenses as well as
professional and occupational licenses taken away.

Welfare -- Limits AFDC benefits to employable parents to 21
months -- the shortest time limit in the country. The state
also will cut in half the extra amount provided for each
child conceived after a mother goes on public assistance.
Instead of receiving an extra $100 a month, the parent will
receive an extra $50 a month for each additional child.

Home sales -- Property owners who put their single- to four-
family home on the market after Jan. 1 must submit a form
that discloses any known defects.

Taxes -- The corporate tax rate drops to 10.75 percent, from
11.25 percent. The dip is part of a plan to gradually bring
the rate to 7.5 percent by 2000.

Sex offenders -- All sex offenders, including those moving in
from other states, must register with local authorities for
10 years after conviction. Also, sex offenders who move into
the state must provide samples of their bodily fluids, from
which DNA can be identified.

Traffic -- Motorists or pedestrians ticketed for violating a
railroad crossing device face a mandatory $500 fine or 50
hours of community service. The old law had no mandatory fine
and the maximum $500 penalty was rarely enforced. The measure
was approved last spring before the deadly school bus-train
collision in Fox River Grove. Also, motorists face mandatory
fines, including a $150 penalty for a first offense, for
failing to stop for a school bus stop arm. First offenders
also will now lose driving privileges for three months,
instead of 30 days. And the fine for parking in a space
reserved for handicapped people is doubled to $100.

Rent control -- Buildings with three or fewer units become
fully decontrolled in Boston, Brookline and Cambridge. This
also applies to owner-occupied buildings with between four
and 12 units, and rented condominiums.

Child support -- Parents who are at least three months behind
on support payments could have their driver's licenses
suspended if they fail to work out a payment plan with a
court or county within 90 days. A second provision will allow
liens to be placed on vehicles valued at more than $4,500
owned by people owing child support payments. A third
provision requires employers to report new hires to the state
in order to track those who drift from job to job to avoid
having their wages garnished for child support.

Teacher background checks -- Everyone who applies for a job
as a teacher or other employee with a public or private
school will undergo a background check for criminal records,
at their own expense.

Sexual assault -- Part of the 1995 Crime Bill redefines
"without consent" in the portions of criminal law dealing
with sexual assault. Under the new law, "the victim need only
resist, either verbally or physically, so as to make the
victim's refusal to consent genuine and real."

Helmet laws -- Requires all children under 14 to wear safety
helmets while using in-line skates.

Sports memorabilia -- Sellers will have to provide customers
with a written notice of an item's authenticity at the time
of sale.

Telephone sales -- Consumers will be allowed to cancel a
telephone sale within three days for many items in an attempt
by the state to crack down on high-pressure hucksters.

Auto insurance -- Auto insurance companies will be required
to offer a discount to drivers who have cars equipped with
daytime lights.

Jury duty -- More than a million more people will be eligible
for jury duty under a law that removes jury exemptions for
doctors, lawyers, judges, journalists, nurses, embalmers,
police officers, firefighters and clergy. Even the governor
would have to do his duty under the new law.

Domestic violence -- Police would be required to arrest
batterers who commit felonies in domestic violence incidents,
and those who violate orders of protection that prohibit
contact with a victim. Law enforcement also would have to
arrest batterers who commit misdemeanors, unless the victim
tells police otherwise.

Concealed weapons -- People will be allowed to carry a
concealed weapon after taking a 15-hour gun-handling course
and passing background checks to show if they have a criminal
past or a history of mental illness.